Well that depends. The basic fact is that in many instances vacuuming often releases just as much dust into the air as it picks up out of the carpeting.
A study conducted in 2011 compared 21 vacuum cleaners from 11 manufacturers marketed for household and commercial use, ranged in age from six months to 22 years and cost from less than $100 to almost $800. They looked at the effects that age, brand and other factors had on the amount of small particles and bacteria released into air.
None were perfect, all of the vacuums released some fine dust and bacteria into the air. Not surprising to us, vacuums with so-called High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in some cases released only slightly lower levels of dust and bacteria. Newer and more expensive vacuum cleaners were generally less polluting than older or less expensive models.
The good news is that vacuums are improving and today’s vacuums are even better than they were in 2011, so if you have been dragging around a vacuum that is more than for or five years old, consider replacing it with a new one.
So, is frequent vacuuming better for allergies? We don’t necessarily think so. If you have a good vacuum cleaner, take your shoes off and don’t have lots of pets then vacuuming every few days is ok. If the carpet or floor is dirty by all means vacuum.
One of the things we tell all of our clients that seems to help is to do their vacuuming early in the day. It gives the dust time to settle before they settle in for the night or put the baby down for a nap.
BTW our Miele vacuum cleaner at home is 10 years old and we have no intentions of replacing it.
“Vacuum Cleaner Emissions as a Source of Indoor Exposure to Airborne Particles and Bacteria”
Environmental Science & Technology
Wishing you the best of health
